Boston United set to go full-time from next season

Boston United were promoted from National League North last season

Boston United's move to become a full-time professional side next season is the next "natural step" for the non-league club, says vice-chairman Neil Kempster.

The Lincolnshire club have operated as a "hybrid" team in recent seasons, with players training three times a week.

From next season, however, the relegation battling National League side will go full-time no matter what league they are in.

"We went hybrid initially and always intended it to be a step on the road to full-time football," Kempster told BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

"But it was always going to be a massive step for the football club financially and for the infrastructure of the club, so we wanted to do it as a stepped process.

"And having made that initial step to hybrid, we obviously enjoyed the success of promotion and that was always the intention.

"But the intention was always to go further and go full-time, so this is just a natural step that we always intended to take."

The Pilgrims are second from bottom in the National League, with 12 matches remaining, and are battling to avoid an immediate return to England's sixth tier, where they spent their previous 14 years.

Chairman David Newton outlined the plans in a statement on the club website and explained that Boston already "have a healthy budget" when compared to other sides in the division and it would "not change significantly" once they go full-time.

The club has also said they hope work on the South Stand and a sports hub at The Jakemans Community Stadium will start in the coming months.

"It'll finish off the stadium, but it will also give us much better sporting facilities, a sports hall that will provide enhanced facilities for the community programme and education programmes we have got," Kempster said.

"At the moment we are a bit constrained with the facilities we have got, so the sports hub will provide us with more space to expand."